


Alone with the Frost

by Ore_wa_kouhai



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Complete, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Other, prompto is the hero, unofficial prom/noct
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-05 04:44:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14036439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ore_wa_kouhai/pseuds/Ore_wa_kouhai
Summary: Updated!Ignis is dying, Noct's going into stasis, they're out of potions, and Gladio can't find the keys to the Regalia, so Prompto and his chocobo had better do their best!!





	1. Chapter 1

Noctis had expected the screech of the daemons, the harsh backlash of the Blizaga.. it was the all-too-human scream of pain that sent a deep shiver down his spine and made his eyes go wide with horror. Forgetting to guard himself in case any of the daemons had survived, he turned and flew over to Ignis’s unconscious body.

His fingers were stiff and blue with frostbite. His lips were blue, his nose and ears were solid with ice. He had burns from the lightning and blood seeped around tiny daggers of ice. His eyes were half open and he was gasping for breaths of stinging, freezing air.

Noctis knelt by his side, searching for any kind of healing spell, potion, phoenix down, anything-

“Noct….”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll get something, I’ll find something-"

Ignis couldn’t get enough air. It hurt so much – bringing the cold into his lungs, the stinging, stabbing pain.. but he needed to, he had to, Noct didn’t understand, he could already see the guilt in his eyes...

Gladiolus was sprinting towards them, Prompto not far behind. Noct’s hands were trembling terribly. He had a vial of Phoenix Down and was desperately trying to enchant it. He had completely forgotten how to breathe, hating himself. |I’m failing him…. Ignis… After all he’s done for me…. And when he needs me, I….|

Prompto put a hand on his shoulder, on one knee behind him. Gladio used a potion to take the edge off of Ignis’s injuries, but even with that he was slipping out of consciousness. He put a hand on Noct’s other shoulder, warm and supportive. “Noct. Calm down,” he ordered firmly. “That’s our last one. Take a deep breath.”

|I can’t screw this up… I can’t, or Ignis…..| Noctis nodded frantically, shivering. He was near stasis from battle, but he couldn’t waste time healing himself, not when Ignis –

The realization came over him with a violent shiver. Ignis’s eyes had slipped closed. It was on the third heartbeat after that he realized the phoenix down had slipped out of his frigid fingers.

The three of them stared in horror.

Prompto was the first to jump up. “Let’s go buy another one! Quick! I-I’ll call the chocobos! A-And-“ “It’ll be too late,” Gladio said grimly. “At best-“ “I’m going!!” Prompto was already mounting and was soon sprinting towards the Regalia. “He doesn’t even know how to drive… Noct-" 

Noctis was blank-faced, blank-eyed. Ignis was looking worse and worse. “Nocts,” he said more insistently. For Ignis. For Ignis. He pulled the smaller male to his feet, staring into his eyes before suddenly slapping his face. Noctis blinked once. Twice. Then the tears started, one after another, and his chest heaved with sobs, his knees becoming useless beneath him. Strong arms wrapped around him tightly and he sobbed helplessly into his loyal shield’s chest. “I’m so sorry,” he choked, quieter than a whisper. “I…”

“I know.” He cut him off, grabbing his shoulders. “I know. But I need you to focus. You can still help him-“ But Noctis slipped out of consciousness, going limp in his arms. He was alone with the frost. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :D

Gladio hauled Noctis over his shoulder and carefully picked Ignis up bridal-style. He had to get them out of the cold, first thing.. Just outside the range of the blizaga, he set them both down gently. He had one more potion…

It was his duty to use it on Noctis, since he had such a collection of injuries, and the cold, and the backlash from the spell… but even if he healed Noctis enough to bring him to consciousness, would he have the strength to heal Ignis?

And if he healed Ignis, would Noctis be okay until Prompto returned with a new collection of phoenix down?

He took Ignis’s pulse. It was slow, and a bit too irregular… He cursed. A gash, he knew how to bandage. He could pop arms and legs back into socket, he could set a broken bone, but magical maladies were finicky and difficult.

**_What if one of them died?_ **

Just the thought sent a powerful pang through him. It would be his fault. His inability, his poor judgement.

Logically, he should keep Noctis alive at all costs, but just from looking at them… Ignis was going to die without getting another potion soon. Noctis would more likely go into stasis. So by that logic…

He hadn’t hesitated about anything this much in years. The last time he’d had such a problem deciding…

* * *

 

“I’m going out. If you two wanna make out or whatever, it’s fine, just clean up after yourselves.”

Noctis was being sarcastic, and part of Gladio knew it, but a bigger part of him was seriously ticked off.

“Noct!!”

The raven-haired prince smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. “What? I just finished cleaning.”

“You mean, we finished cleaning for you while you moped around.” Ignis wasn’t impressed, and also seemed a bit testy. Noct’s eyes widened in realization. “… No way, you seriously-"

Gladio threw a pillow at his head. “Scram, kid.” But that was a mistake, because then Noct actually left. And he was alone, with Ignis. Shit.

He went to pick up the pillow, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t see, but Ignis was enjoying the view…

“That kid…” Gladio grumbled. “Drives me nuts.”

“Did he hit a nerve?” Ignis asked carefully.

“…” Well, how could he answer that?

His indecisiveness, and nervousness, must have been obvious to Ignis. He stood up, setting his drink down and walking over to him with a challenge in his eyes and a smirk on his mouth. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but…”

He backed up towards the wall, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

Ignis shook his head, turning into the kitchen. “Ah, never mind..”

* * *

 

Gladio put the potion between Noct and Ignis's hands and smashed it between them. They shared the potion. Noct immediately looked better, more at peace. But Ignis...

He took his jacket off and wrapped it around him, pulling him close and holding him. For warmth, of course.

Small blessings. No one would ever see him crying.

* * *

 

After that, Gladio had spent several minutes staring indecisively at Ignis, who pretended not to notice. Finally, he managed, "What made you think that?" His voice sounded disproportionately small.

Ignis turned and smiled at him. "Well, we've been colleagues long enough that I can tell the difference between banter and real anger. I just wondered what made the difference, this time. He's no more insufferable than usual.”

Gladio grunted. “If you know that much, then..”

“So, are you interested?”

He blinked, turning to stare at him. "... Oh."

Ignis smiled, waiting for him to puzzle it out with a graceful smile. “So am I." 

* * *

 

"Ignis..." He cradled him. Ignis was cold, and wet, and hurt and bleeding, and Gladiolus had no blankets, no phoenix down, nothing he could do besides wait and pray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, a chapter 2! wasn't sure there would be one. I hope someone out there enjoys it :3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto...

He cursed as his chocobo slowed to a trot once again. "Please... I know you're tired, but we have to keep going!" He groaned, waiting a moment since chocobos didn't seem to understand such things. "Are you ready? Then, FASTER!!"

He leaned forward, sweat dripping down his face even with the chilling winds. The sun was falling fast in the sky, and he couldn't afford the delay a daemon would cause.

When the thought that he was alone and a daemon might cause not just a delay but his life, he spurred the chocobo again. _Noctis_ couldn't afford that. Ignis would - and then even if Noct survived, if Ignis - didn't -

Prompto wiped the tears away as he slowed to a trot again. |I'll get it... Ignis. Noct. I swear I won't let you down...|

* * *

 

Night had crashed with cold fury around him. Unnatural howls in the distance, and sometimes from the cliffs above his left, or the forest to his right reminded Prompto of the danger, and of Iggy telling Noct it was dangerous to travel at night. His heart raced with terror. If he got caught in a fight, he was at risk of being delayed not only by that fight but by all the rest that roamed nearby....

If that happened, he'd let Ignis and Noct down. If that happened... what was his life even worth?

A giant fist forced its way through the ground with a horrible groaning sound, directly in front of Prompto. His chocobo threw him and bolted, and while he landed unhurt, the sound of imperials landing behind him informed him that this status would soon change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, pretty short chapter. Just thought maybe someone might like to see how our boy Prompto is doing ;) Comment on the POV you'd like to see next!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :3

No sense standing still.

He sprinted off the road, behind the trees and just out of sight. His mind raced. |If I can just get enough distance, I can call the chocobo again.. but I don’t want to put them in danger…| He looked over his shoulder at the Magiteks, and the Iron Giant, and the cliffs behind them… He shook his head, continuing to run and racking his brain for ideas. |..but… maybe just a… or…|

He grinned suddenly, heading back to the road. |That’s it!!|

* * *

Gladio felt Noct’s wrist, reassured a little by the pulse that beat there. His eyes were still closed, but he seemed more restful than pained now. It was Ignis he still worried about.. He was in awe of how well Ignis was holding on. He kept breathing, even though it sounded like it hurt. The ice was spreading across his skin slowly, though, and though the bleeding had stopped, he had already lost a lot of blood…

* * *

 

Prompto shot over and over. The sound was ringing in his ears, and his wrists and arms ached. Still the Imperials kept coming, charging at him relentlessly. The giant had attacked some of the tin soldiers before apparently getting bored and wandering off. Prompto’s arms were seriously tired, he could barely hold them up anymore, but he could see signs of his success. He’d never considered using bullets for stonemasonry, but his first project was nearly complete… nearly… !!!

He stopped shooting and just let his feet pound the road, doing his damndest to get through the tunnel entrance in time. With the absence of the gunshots, it seemed completely silent. Then the arch of the tunnel collapsed behind him, the mountain angrily shuddering as it covered nearly the entire way. The metalheads climbed, trying to claw through what was left of the entrance, but they couldn’t make it and soon gave up hunting him.

His legs collapsed under him and he sat, just catching his breath and grinning wildly. |Noct. I did it. You and Ignis – you’ll both be okay.|

As soon as he had enough to call his chocobo, he blew the whistle.

* * *

 

Noctis blinked awake. For some reason, he was smiling. He’d had a dream… Prompto was happy, really happy. Then he saw Ignis and his face fell. Gladio put a hand on his shoulder before he could cry out in alarm. “He’s hanging in there. Prompto’s gone to get Phoenix Dawn. He’ll bring back plenty for both you and Ignis.” But he reassured him with false confidence, and he knew that Noct knew it. The prince pretended to believe him… or was that real hope in his eyes? “If it’s Prompto that’s gone, I know he won’t let us down,” he said firmly. Gladio gently pushed the raven haired boy to the ground. “Rest up, your highness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //yeeEEEEEEEEAAHHH BOI  
> GO PROMPTO GO  
> also noct has faith in him, ofc he does <333  
> these chapters are shorter than I intended lately, so apologies for that ~  
> remember im still super new to this so please comment with suggestions or what else you'd like to see <3 I am taking requests!


	5. Chapter 5

So, if the tunnel had collapsed, how was Prom supposed to get back to them?  
Well, since he was riding a chocobo, it didn’t matter at all. He crossed through the valley, which would’ve been faster except that he had to keep avoiding daemons and large clumps of trees. He managed to get to the other side and find a way up, refusing to rest even for a second.  
He had a vial of phoenix down, and an extra vial, and an extra extra vial. So as long as he got back, everyone would definitely be okay.  
He wiped some sweat off his chin, not realizing that some blood came away too. He was too focused on doing everything he could to help the only people who could tolerate him.  
It didn’t matter if it hurt to breathe, or to move. One or two ribs broken where he hadn't run fast enough from the Magiteks, no biggie…  
He leaned forward, bracing himself on the chocobo. If he could just rest a little…but no, he had to push through...

 

* * *

 

 

Gladiolus was thinking. 

When Noct was very small, he liked to toddle around and reach for things. It didn't matter what kind of thing it was, as long as he was pulling it off of a table, a branch, or something very high, his chubby little hands groped for them and pulled them towards him. 

This wasn't a problem most of the time. The entire palace was made toddler-safe for him, after all. But once, a visiting dignitary left his plate and bowl a little too close to the edge. The maid who was supposed to be cleaning it up could only carry so many at a time, and so she'd left with the first half and was just coming back with the second when Noct pulled the plate off the table and the bowl fell, hit him on the head, and covered him with soup. 

Gladio chased in seconds later. 

It really wasn't that big of a deal, but he'd been searching increasingly frantically for him, and when he heard a crash and the maid gasp, "Prince-!!!" he had feared something terrible had happened. And the little boy was crying, and did appear to have a bruise swelling on his forehead. 

Swelling is good, he'd had to remind himself. It'll swell in one direction or another. Best to swell away from the brain...

Another part of him was cursing the tiny prince's stupidity. But mostly he was cursing himself. 

What had started as a relatively minor incident made him shake with anger. He was supposed to protect this stupid, fragile little toddler. He knew he'd never forget it.

 

When, some time later, he'd told Ignis the story in an offhand way, he hadn't laughed. He seemed to understand perfectly. They would both do anything to protect their idiot prince. But now, for Gladio, it was difficult....

"He's not a little kid anymore, Iggy...." He murmured, wrapping his coat a little tighter around him. "You didn't have to do this..." Which was a lie, of course. They always had to protect him.

 

Ignis was breathing. it was becoming more and more difficult for him to do so.

 

Noct was dreaming.

The first day Prompto had spoken to him, it was with confidence.  
He’d been jarred when Prompto clapped an arm around him, but not at all displeased. His claps on the back were startling at first, but Noct was happy to get used to them. The arm around his shoulders was something he needed every now and then, and Prompto always seemed to be there when he needed.  
Prompto. Such a blessing. What had he done, exactly, to deserve a friend like that?

He never seemed to know how to get one of Prom’s genuine smiles, or what exactly he should do or say. But hell, life without Prompto would be terribly bleak, wouldn’t it? There would be no one to lift his spirits when he sank too far into his own head. There would be only Ignis and Gladio, and no one to lighten the mood that got heavy all too easily…

“Hey!” Prom smiled. The sun was shining and his hair seemed to glow. He had the smile he wore when about to tell a clever joke.  
Noct couldn’t hear the joke, but he grinned and groaned dramatically. And Prom clapped his hands, jeering. A lewd joke, then.  
And then there were his warm arms around him, he hadn’t realized how cold he was until he’d felt his warmth, and he was so _gentle_ and-

Noctis blinked awake.


	6. Fin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In that moment...

Prompto was gripping his hand, gasping a cry of relief as Ignis, too, regained consciousness. He soon made a different sound as Gladiolus immediately and very thoroughly kissed Iggy's mouth. Something with tongues was happening, so Prom promptly dropped his gaze to Noct, blushing and smiling at his prince's face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Noct cut him off with a bear hug. "... I don't know how you did it," he said gruffly, "but... you can pick where we sleep tonight..."  
At that, Prompto cheered, prompting Iggy to let go of Gladio's tongue and turn to see what mischief they were getting into already.  
"Yaaay!! Motel!! Real beds!!!" He cheered, completely exhausted after the marathon he'd just run.  
"We can get two rooms," Noct suggested, looking at Iggy innocently. It felt really good to tease him, like getting back a little bit of normal. But before Ignis could answer, Gladio turned to him and started lecturing him. Noct considered rescuing him, but then he'd just have to finish what Gladio had started, and then some, and he wasn't sure he could hold it together through the lecture anyway, and it all seemed like such a waste of energy when he could just grunt and nod along with his Shield. So he did, and in the process kind of snuggled Prompto more than either of them would usually be comfortable doing. But Prom was sleepy, and Noct was, too. Although in Noct's case, it wasn't unusual. And stupid Prompto needed to _use_ one of the potions he'd bought, and so Noct started digging around in the blond's pockets to find one, and gently took it out, and gently healed him, and then they were somehow leaning back and sleeping like two puppies in the grass...  
Until Iggy announced that they needed to get up, because he'd just spotted some ingredients not far off and he'd come up with a new recipe.  
normal. He could use a little normal.  
Gladio, annoyed at being ignored, muttered some kind of threat in Ignis's ear, and the shade Ignis then turned made Noct glad he'd suggested separate rooms for the night.  
Then he closed his eyes, settling into Prom's warmth and scent and that wonderful promise, the one he'd kept despite impossibilities...

It was good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Yaaaay, the ending!! Sorry for such a long wait. I've been sick, and then there were unit exams to study and take and powerpoints to make... but it's here!! A bit shorter than intended. And oohhh gosh, is it too cheesy? i was going for heartwarming... just don't think about the way the stupid game ends. curse u square. i'll make an alternate ending fic one of these days. anyway i hope someone enjoyed!!! cause i did!!! :D

**Author's Note:**

> //This is my first FFXV fic ever! I've only just gotten into this game, haven't yet completed the game, but even so I hope someone finds my contribution a worthwhile read :3


End file.
